Matt Riddle Draws a Brazilian Fighter for UFC 141

Ultimate Fighting Championship officials have been laser-focused on this weekend’s UFC on Fox 1, but that hasn’t stopped matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby from filling out other upcoming cards.

They added a bout pitting Luis Ramos against Matt Riddle to the UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem New Year’s fight card, according to a UFC Twitter post on Tuesday morning.

This is an important fight for both Ramos and Riddle. Each is coming off of a loss in his last fight.

Ramos (19-7) made his Octagon debut in August at UFC 134 in Rio. The Brazilian lost a TKO stoppage in under a minute to fellow countryman Erik Silva, putting a damper on his big break. He’ll likely need a victory at UFC 141 if he is to remain on the roster much longer.

Riddle (5-3) made his way to the UFC and professional mixed martial arts via the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The former Team Rampage fighter emerged strong, running his record to 5-1 before stumbling in his last two outings.

He lost to Sean Pierson at UFC 124 and then to Lance Benoist at UFC Fight Night 25, putting his UFC career in a precarious position.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, retaining from his second bout with diverticulitis, faces former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the UFC 141 main event on Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.